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Abbreviations - Army Records

He received Wartime Proficiency Pay (WTPP) from Nov 1940. Did he get this for his driver status ? To be rated as such he'd have to meet the rules of the relevant corps, and be selected by the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding brigade. For example in the Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Field Artillary and heavy batteries he would have to have been a first class qualified driver to quaIfy for WTPP.

As Stokkie points out in post #27, he appears to have been a driver in charge of motor transport. Would the letters RPMHR have been a specific unit serving a number of others ? No idea how this role would have worked. He certainly moved about a lot eg the infantry training corps (ITCs - or maybe he was receiving training), Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps 40th AMPC, West Yorks Reg. Would he have been temporarily attached to units ie not officially on strength ? A sort of peripatetic driver. Just thinking aload. Viv.

Viv
 
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Various hospitals run by the RAF over the years were named after Princess Mary, who founded the RAF nursing service - I wonder if the RPMH could be for "Royal Princess Mary Hospital... " and R be for a specific one? The Hospital treated all the services, not just the RAF - there's still a Princess Mary Hospital operating in Cyprus today. He could have been a patient or maybe even served in the Motor Pool at one, driving Ambulances and the like.- Just a thought.

Edit- I see the one in Cyprus closed down in 2012.
 
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Reading about The Falklands Defence Force and British Army reinforcements. 'In 1942 a garrison was posted to protect the Islands in case of attack by the Japanese. The main body of this garrison was the 11th Battalion of the West Yorks, replaced by a smaller garrison of the Royal Scots in 1944.' https://falklands-museum.com/wwii

War Diaries are at Kew for 11th Battn. Yorks. Could he have been driving the Officer Commanding? Or an Ambulance?
 
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Stokkie said:
Reading about The Falklands Defence Force and British Army reinforcements. 'In 1942 a garrison was posted to protect the Islands in case of attack by the Japanese. The main body of this garrison was the 11th Battalion of the West Yorks, replaced by a smaller garrison of the Royal Scots in 1944.' https://falklands-museum.com/wwii

War Diaries are at Kew for 11th Battn. Yorks. Could he have been driving the Officer Commanding? Or an Ambulance?
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Stokkie that is very interesting. He did not drive an ambulance, however as far as I am aware he was a driver for his "superior officer/officers".

I have attached a photo of him (in the driving seat) when he was serving in the Falklands, the quality is not that good as it was photographed (from a mobile phone) from a scanned photo.

William
 

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williamjukes said:
Stokkie that is very interesting. He did not drive an ambulance, however as far as I am aware he was a driver for his "superior officer/officers".

I have attached a photo of him (in the driving seat) when he was serving in the Falklands, the quality is not that good as it was photographed (from a mobile phone) from a scanned photo.

William
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Thanks William,
That is an excellent photo.
I think we can forget about hospitals then as a solution to the mystery of RPMHR.
But still we don't know the meaning. I'm guessing there was a motor pool for officers' cars. He was in charge of motor transport and was a driver himself.
Derek
 
That was my thinking too. I imagined him driving senior officers, especially as he had such a good reputation, character and high rating as a driver.

I notice he was x (i) listed in October 1946, which according to Janice's attachment about x lists in post #30 covers:

"all ranks posted to fill vacancies in War Establishments of a HQ or extra-regimental unit (such as a base depot or school)".

This sounds very much like a pool arrangement to me. That's what I was trying to get at in post #31. In my experience it has similarities with the Civil Service.

Viv.
 
Stokkie said:
Hi William,
This doesn't appear in the standard lists of Army abbreviations from the time.

Could you post the complete sentences where RPMHR is used? Also which unit did this man serve in?

R could be returned or reserve or regiment, but the bare abbreviation doesn't give us much to go on.

Derek
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Yes, I reviewed the list of UK military acronyms (Google) and as Derek observed it’s not there. Having said that it might be a localized version. You might look at the listing and see how/what might have been connect to what you dad was doing. Just a thought.
 
Stokkie my wife joined that group a few years ago and found it very interesting. She has the book "Pyramid to Pagoda" of which some of it covers the Falklands and the West Yorkshire Regiments time there.

William.
 
Richard Dye said:
Yes, I reviewed the list of UK military acronyms (Google) and as Derek observed it’s not there. Having said that it might be a localized version. You might look at the listing and see how/what might have been connect to what you dad was doing. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Richard if you look back at post 8 - whereby i have attached a page from his army records, where the abbreviation "RPMHR" is shown 4 times then i do wonder if it is connected to his rank.

He was a "private" during the time he served, but from Oct 45 - Nov 45 - where those abbreviations are used - then his rank changes to "Cpl" if you look under the column "Army Rank".

William.
 
williamjukes said:
Richard if you look back at post 8 - whereby i have attached a page from his army records, where the abbreviation "RPMHR" is shown 4 times then i do wonder if it is connected to his rank.

He was a "private" during the time he served, but from Oct 45 - Nov 45 - where those abbreviations are used - then his rank changes to "Cpl" if you look under the column "Army Rank".

William.
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William, I did look at the post but I am not familiar with the UK military system or acronyms. I could not find RPMHR anywhere. You might check with the military, if you have not already done so.
 
Vivienne14 said:
That was my thinking too. I imagined him driving senior officers, especially as he had such a good reputation, character and high rating as a driver.

I notice he was x (i) listed in October 1946, which according to Janice's attachment about x lists in post #30 covers:

"all ranks posted to fill vacancies in War Establishments of a HQ or extra-regimental unit (such as a base depot or school)".

This sounds very much like a pool arrangement to me. That's what I was trying to get at in post #31. In my experience it has similarities with the Civil Service.

Viv.
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Yes Vivienne, didn't the Civil Service call this acting up?
 
Seem to remember 'acting up' as where you temporarily carried out the role of the next grade (with the pay of the grade) until a replacement was found or, as sometimes was the case, you got promoted (via a panel) to that grade if a promotion panel became available.

Think today it wouldn't happen as vacant posts have to be advertised.

Viv.
 
Yesterday I emailed the Natonal Army Museum about the letters. Today I had this reply:

Thank you for your enquiry. I cannot find much information on the acronym you've given, but I have found one reference to the possibility that it is not an acronym but a reference code for a ship's voyage, a set of letters that would be assigned to all equipment and soldiers transported on a particular ship.
I cannot be sure this is correct and I urge you to continue your own research, but this is the only reference to those specific letters that I could find.

I also emailed the IWM and had an automated reply telling me that as other enquiries were more important than mine it might be sometime before I had a reply. If I hear back I will let you kow.
 
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In addition to the image of the troop ship Eastern Prince in post #15, here are a few others. It was (after the war - 1950) renamed Empire Medway. (Broken up Nov 1952).it was a Ministry of Transport ship in 1947, no doubt a hangover from WW2. By the 1950s it was managed by Prince Lines Ltd.

The first image is most likely how William's relation would have known it.

Viv.

Screenshot_20230708_135941_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20230708_140028_Chrome.jpg
 
Vivienne14 said:
In addition to the image of the troop ship Eastern Prince in post #15, here are a few others. It was (after the war - 1950) renamed Empire Medway. (Broken up Nov 1952).it was a Ministry of Transport ship in 1947, no doubt hangover from WW2, it,was managed by Prince Lines Ltd in the 1950s.

The first image is most likely how Williams relation would have known it.

Viv.

View attachment 181581View attachment 181580
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They look like they are pretty old ships, pre WW2 I would say.
 
When he disembarked from this ship in 1945 it was to 'CMF' - was that the Central Mediterranean Force ? Looks like he needed medical attention and possibly was admitted to the "Leave/Rest" camp in Glifadha before joining the West Kents. V
 
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pjmburns said:
Yesterday I emailed the Natonal Army Museum about the letters. Today I had this reply:

Thank you for your enquiry. I cannot find much information on the acronym you've given, but I have found one reference to the possibility that it is not an acronym but a reference code for a ship's voyage, a set of letters that would be assigned to all equipment and soldiers transported on a particular ship.
I cannot be sure this is correct and I urge you to continue your own research, but this is the only reference to those specific letters that I could find.

I also emailed the IWM and had an automated reply telling me that as other enquiries were more important than mine it might be sometime before I had a reply. If I hear back I will let you kow.
Click to expand...
Thank you Janice that was very kind of you. Their answer does make sense.

William.
 
Vivienne14 said:
When he disembarked from this ship in 1945 it was to 'CMF' - was that the Central Mediterranean Force ? Looks like he needed medical attention and possibly was admitted to the "Leave/Rest" camp in Glifadha before joining the West Yorks. V
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Vivienne, I do believe the CMF was the Central Mediterranean Force, However I have no information about the "Leave/Rest" camp in Glifadha or why he would be there.

His army records do not give any further information or shed any light on that.

William.
 
I would just like to thank all those members that have shown an interest in my post.

Those who have commented, those that have helped and given me valuable information and an insight into his time spent in the Army, and also those that have read my post and the replies.

Thank you all for your time.

William.
 
Fayl on Rootschat has asked the same question about te same military record. This was one response

"RPMHR would be the reference code for the draft of soldiers travelling on that voyage from UK to Greece. It's not an acronym.

Everyone and everything with that code was scheduled to travel on a particular ship at a particular date".

Link to Rootschat record. https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=874289.0
 
Vivienne14 said:
Fayl on Rootschat has asked the same question about te same military record. This was one response

"RPMHR would be the reference code for the draft of soldiers travelling on that voyage from UK to Greece. It's not an acronym.

Everyone and everything with that code was scheduled to travel on a particular ship at a particular date".

Link to Rootschat record. https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=874289.0
Click to expand...

Vivienne, Fay was previously a member of this forum (but no longer a member - not her decision - long story ) so unfortunately not able to ask here about her fathers army records.

As I am family I have been trying to assist her.

William.
 
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